I tried using it to switch between onboard and addon when needed Use the IGP in Windows, once you start a game it should switch to the addon card and reroute video via IGP. Didn't seem to work well for me though. But that's basically what it should be doing

In order to install VIRTU, Virtu Universal and Virtu MVP you system should have a minimum requirement capability. Please verify the following: 1.An integrated GPU, typically an Intel HDxxxx, is available.
2.A discrete GPU is installed in your system.
3.The integrated GPU is always enabled in your BIOS. Note: this is important as in many cases the integrated GPU will be disabled if a discrete GPU is added to the system.
(We recommend setting the iGPU as the primary display adapter)

In your Windows OS:4.Verify that you have the latest Intel® HD Graphics driver [through Intel's support page]
5.Verify that you have the latest driver for your dGPU [through NVidia/AMD support page]

Lucid Virtu (when the display is attached to the IGP) copies the framebuffer from the dedicated card and displays it using the integrated chip. This allows the dedicated card to stay in a low power state when not needed, but turn on when needed without any user intervention. I believe there is about a 10% performance penalty when using this setup. It can also be done vice-versa where the Intel IGP is there for QuickSync video encoding and you use your dGPU as normal.

This sort of technology is present in many laptops that have dGPUs via NVIDIA and AMD's proprietary methods, and falls under the names NVIDIA Optimus and AMD Enduro (formerly PowerXpress). These technologies work basically the same way, having the display outputs connected to the IGP and copying the framebuffer from the dGPU when in high performance mode.

Ok heres where this virtu may be quite useful- i just installed some old splintercell games that work fine on the igpu, but wont work on my dedicated 7950 because of driver issues and the age of the games[circa 2005 i think, anyways, if i asssign them a igpu profile in virtu, would that then let them run on igpu and possibly work, i know they work with the hd4000 becuase i played bit of em b4 i got the ded gpu? just a thought.

Must be a conspiracy to sell more motherboards and trick you into upgrading! Seriously, though, LucidLogix MVP doesn't seem to work for long if it works at all. Not just me, every mention of MVP in forums says the same thing. Overclocking will make it crash almost every time, and even at stock speeds it crashes at times. I set it up as instructed, in the right order and with all the latest drivers, but it just won't act right. So basically the iGPU is wasted real estate on the die that could be used for more cores or on-chip RAM, as nobody buys a "K" SKU and doesn't get a dedicated GPU - even a $50 video card will blow away the HD 4000. Just because Intel is headed towards SoC doesn't mean power users should be stuck without the no iGPU option such as the Sandy Bridge i5-2550K - one reason not to upgrade to Ivy. I went with Ivy Bridge because I was ignorant of the fact that PCIe 3.0 is irrelevant in this generation, since no available video cards can even saturate a 2.0 bus. But still maybe in a year or two it may pay off, but by then Haswell or Broadwell will be worth upgrading to - like I said, it's a conspiracy to make you keep buying more parts!

Seeing as how I just spent a good chunk of time trying to fix a WinSAT.exe appcrash issue I was having I thought this could be of some help to readers.

VirtuMVP repeatedly crashed my WEI (WinSAT.exe) which has a nasty habit of running itself once a week on default. Every Sunday at 1am (I believe that is the default time) WinSAT attempts to run the full assessment after installing VirtuMVP. Windows sees the change in configuration (installing VirtuMVP) and this results in the full test (if hardware environment remains the same assessment does not completely run).

I just tried this, my mobo supports it, i have the hd4000 and dedicated amd, with lucid enabled winsat was 7.2, with it disabled its 7.9. so??? whats the benefit other than power consumption?

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same hapend to me..i was wondering why!! then i get it..its just that when u rerun assesment it test ur igpu not dedicated gpu!! that is all...
and that virtu work for me..its god thign saving electirc bils,,couse when u watch movies or surf u use igpu..,start ur game start ur dedicated!! that is prety ossom to me!!
and i just read on some forum that there is some new technology zero core
thats for crosfire option,if ur surfing ur card turn off starting ur game start the card..
and on virtu it just put ur card to idle!!

So far it works, but only with the latest december 2012 drivers for Virtu MVP in Windows 8.

That said, I was most interested in the power saving features (use the iGPU when not gaming). Well,...err.... now that it works I have been alternating between the iGPU HDMI output and the dGPU HDMI output (hot swapping the monitor cable) and there is ZERO difference in power consumption as shown on my APC UPS LCD display.

GPU-Z shows the dGPU staying at idle herz's, that is 324 MHz, and 22% of TDP, the same in both scenarios. No dGPU hybernation or deep sleep, as I expected. Will delete Virtu MVP/disable iGP unless someone tells my testing is flawed.

That said, I was most interested in the power saving features (use the iGPU when not gaming). Well,...err.... now that it works I have been alternating between the iGPU HDMI output and the dGPU HDMI output (hot swapping the monitor cable) and there is ZERO difference in power consumption as shown on my APC UPS LCD display.

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You're not supposed to swap the cable, MVP does the swap for you. the reason you are getting the same power consumption is because you are using the iGPU in both scenarios.

Thanks Hood, that can be, but in either case, the dGPU values of 324 MHz, and 22% TDP, is not exactly "idle", much less "disconnected", and not "powersaving". Any chance of getting a powersaving benefit from Virtu?

Thanks Hood, that can be, but in either case, the dGPU values of 324 MHz, and 22% TDP, is not exactly "idle", much less "disconnected", and not "powersaving". Any chance of getting a powersaving benefit from Virtu?

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I can't even get MVP to run without crashing if overclocked over 4.2 GHz, and I too was disappointed with yet another GREAT NEW FEATURE that doesn't work. Really, it was hard to tell what's going on with that very limited software, and AFAIK nobody's had any luck with it. I flushed it and haven't missed it at all.

Hi Hood, Well there are laptops being sold with varied "hybrid" tech, AMD Fusion I believe, Nvidia has it's own Hybrid, and Virtu was THE idea to manage 2 graphic processors of mixed brands. Battery saving was the goal or part of it. If this does not work, there could be lawsuits!

Last time i tried it the system average power usage was 20+ watts extra. I'll try it again at some point but i cannot see it beating the idle wattage the system runs at already ( 77w) but you never know .

Another problem was it did not switch cards when needed and some times the other way around. One i really remember was Minecraft and it just was stuck on the iGPU..

In the end if it cannot manage to lower the systems idle power at least it's a fail for me..

Absolute silence without compromising performance is my only benchmark score.

I don't quite understand the logic behind this stuff. I want Lucid Virtu MVP as a software solution on my system. But apparently you strictly need their chip on a mobo even though i'm not interested in hybrid GPU usage at all. I just want their V-Sync without framerate cap and that performance improving thing they showcased for Skyrim.